Employee Fraud – Fraud in Nonpofits

Alexandria CPA John Renner is known throughout the city for his devotion to Alexandria, and along with his wife, Joan, fellow partner in Renner & Co., they make up quite a team.

For example, they were both honored as Living Legends of Alexandria in 2010. They were named Rotarians of the Year in 2009. And they are the only husband-and-wife duo to have both served as chair of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce.

And just recently this year, John Renner was named Member of the Year by the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

In the announcement of the award, the VSCPA noted that he has been on Alexandria’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee for the past decade and currently serves as chair.

He is also vice president of the Northern Virginia Community College Foundation, a member of the Alexandria Rotary Club’s board of directors, president of the board at Ivy Hill Cemetery and serves on the Accounting Advisory Committee at his alma mater, Virginia Tech.

Mayor Bill Euille commented, “His passion for the city and for the citizens is just remarkable. He probably is more engaged and attends more community events than I do as mayor, and my schedule is full 24/7.”

File photo As for Renner himself, “I got involved in the civic things because the city was so good to us. When you give back to people who help you, it comes back to you in spades.”

And, of course for John that dedication and caring for others begins at home.

Says Joan, “He’s so thoughtful that I have to be careful not to ask him for things unless I really want him to go get them. He picks up on things. He realizes that I need something before I even do.”

In recognizing Renner, the bottom line for the VSCPA is “The common thread in all of Renner’s endeavors is his complete devotion to the cause. Whether it’s his family, him employees or his community work, he jumps in with both feet and gives his all to help make things better.”

– Steve Hunt; Mount Vernon Voice; July 8, 2015

May 2015

Renner and Company participated in the 2015 Spring for Alexandria with Volunteer Alexandria. They dedicated an afternoon to Ivy Hill Cemetery helping clean up the grounds with various landscaping tasks. These tasks included planting flowers, spreading mulch on a nature path and trimming the many azalea bushes on the grounds.

CONGRATULATIONS! to Mr. John J. Renner award winner of the VSCPA’s 2015 Outstanding Member of the Year! read more…

Renner is ‘Mr. Alexandria,’ VSCPA Member of the Year

Step into the conference room at Renner & Co. in Alexandria and you’ll probably do a double take. In the corner, there’s a cutout of the firm’s founder, John Renner, CPA, and it’s not the only one in the office. Renner’s colleagues joke about using the cutout for public appearances when the man himself is just too overscheduled.

Like any good joke, it’s funny because it has the ring of truth. Renner is Mr. Alexandria — when the VSCPA visited Renner & Co. to get material for this profile, Bill Euille, the city’s mayor, carved out time to stop by and offer a few words. It’s that kind of civic involvement and dedication to the profession that makes Renner the VSCPA’s 2015 Outstanding Member of the Year.

Renner’s CV — along with that of his wife, fellow Renner & Co. partner and VSCPA member, Joan — could double as a refresher course on the major players in the Alexandria community. The couple’s joint highlights include:

Honored as Living Legends of Alexandria in 2010

Rotarians of the Year honor in 2009

The only husband-and-wife duo to have both served as chair of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce

But that’s just scratching the surface of John Renner’s devotion to his city, his company and his profession.

“His passion for the city and for the citizens is just remarkable,” Euille said. “He probably is more engaged and attends more community events than I do as mayor, and my schedule is full 24/7.”

Renner has been on Alexandria’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee for the past decade and currently serves as chair. He’s a vice president of the Northern Virginia Community College Foundation and a member of the Alexandria Rotary Club’s board of directors. He’s president of the board at Ivy Hill Cemetery and serves on the Accounting Advisory Committee at his alma mater, Virginia Tech.

Despite all his investment in Alexandria, what many don’t know is that Renner wasn’t actually born in the city, but across the border in Arlington.

“Everybody thought I would never move out of Arlington,” he said. “I was entrenched in Arlington. I grew up in Rosslyn before it was what it was today. Rosslyn was the pawn shops and the gravel pit and the construction yards. It was a playground my mother didn’t know much about. “

After graduating from Virginia Tech, Renner returned to Arlington to accept a job with Murray, Jonson & White. He made the move to Alexandria in 1978 to work for Minter, Morrison & Grant, and he never left.

“It gets into your blood,” he said. “…I just enjoy giving back to the community. I have a hard time saying no.”

Renner got involved in VSCPA volunteering early in his career after meeting Tom Berry, then the Society’s CEO. He started off with the VSCPA’s Northern Chapter, then moved on to chair the Public Relations Committee before working with the Legislative Affairs, Professional Ethics and Professional Development Conference Planning committees. He also spent three years on the VSCPA Board of Directors and, more recently, spent a year on the VSCPA Educational Foundation’s Board of Directors.

That last volunteer gig aside, Renner mostly stepped away from VSCPA volunteering in the mid-1990s to focus more on his local projects.

“I got involved in the civic things because the city was so good to us,” he said. “When you give back to people who help you, it comes back to you in spades.”

His giving back doesn’t end with those charitable endeavors. A significant portion of his firm’s business comes from nonprofits, and they do those audits at a discount rate. And Renner also stresses putting non-accounting-savvy clients at ease with understandable explanations of financial issues.

“We may be calling something by a technical term. The client might be talking about something else, and everyone has a deer-in-headlights look,” he said. “You have to listen and try and figure that out.”

Recently, that has taken the form of dealing with Alexandria’s high business and professional license (BPOL) tax. As chair of the city’s budget committee, Renner is tasked with explaining the ins and outs of the BPOL tax to an audience of laymen, but he downplays the value of his expertise.

“I don’t walk on water,” he said. “If you know the numbers, listen to what somebody has to say and present the facts for what they are, you can convince people of a lot of things.”

Renner’s inspiration for his civic involvement largely comes from his father, also named John. The elder Renner was an electrical engineer and a World War II veteran who was heavily involved in the Rosslyn community.

His son also followed in his footsteps in a more unusual way — working with his wife.

“When I was in high school, my dad started his business and my mom went to work for him,” Renner said. “I said, ‘I’ll never have that. That doesn’t work.’”

Between the firm and their joint charitable efforts, the Renners spend a great deal of time together. It’s been a challenge to keep love and business separate, but the pair has managed to pull it off and remain close.

“We have a rule that we don’t talk about business at home,” Renner said. “We support each other. We don’t have many disagreements on how the business is run.”

It’s worked for the family and the business. Renner & Co. was founded as Renner, Kositzka & Wicks in 1983. The firms split in 1989, and John and Joan were coworkers before they were husband and wife. He’s proven to be as caring a husband as he is a community member.

“He’s so thoughtful that I have to be careful not to ask him for things unless I really want him to go get them,” Joan said. “He picks up on things. He realizes that I need something before I even do.”

That care extends to his work as a boss, where he’s quick to protect his employees’ interests.

The common thread in all of Renner’s endeavors is his complete devotion to the cause. Whether it’s his family, his employees or his community work, he jumps in with both feet and gives his all to help make things better.

“He gives tremendous support to, and advocacy for, Alexandria’s small businesses,” said Val Hawkins, former president and CEO of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership. “He’s a huge supporter in the nonprofit sector of our community. The bottom line is: John Renner cares, and does something about it.”

LAST UPDATED 5/11/2015

March/April 2015

John and Joan Renner recognized by the Disclosures Magazine in the March/April issue.

On August 1, 2014. Renner and Company enjoyed a great night in the Sky Suite at the National’s baseball game. Employees and their families gathered to watch the Nationals play the Phillies. The night was filled with food, laughter and some competitive pool playing.

May 2014
Renner and Company participated in the 2014 Spring for Alexandria with Volunteer Alexandria. They dedicated an afternoon to Ivy Hill Cemetery helping clean up the grounds with various landscaping tasks. These tasks included planting flowers, spreading mulch on a nature path and trimming the many azalea bushes on the grounds. Although the original day of work was rained out, the work got done on a rescheduled day when the sun was shining.

January 2014 Renner and Company, CPA, P.C. is pleased to announce that Andrew E. Young, CPA, CGMA, MBA is now a Shareholder of the firm.

2013 Alexandria Walk to Fight Breast Cancer

Renner and Company was a contributor to the 2013 Alexandria Walk to Fight Breast Cancer on October 26, 2013. They had 17 staff members, friends, family and even a furry four legged member participate in the 5K walk. All of the proceeds from the walk benefit the Alexandria Breast Cancer Walk Fund at Inova Alexandria Hospital, which provides mammograms to uninsured women and men or to those in financial need. Since the Walk’s inception in 1994, over 7,000 women have been helped due to the generous support of sponsors, walkers and their pledges.

Spring for Alexandria 2013

Renner and Company participated in the 6th Annual Spring for Alexandria Service Day in May. Volunteer Alexandria brought hundreds of volunteers to dozens of community service sites throughout the city for an extraordinary day of giving back through service and philanthropy. Renner and Company staff put aside their accounting duties for the day to give back to the community by cleaning a local park.

More than 80 nonprofit professionals attended the Renner and Company Non-Profit Seminar Wednesday, July 20 at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites on First Street in Old Town to hear about important nonprofit topics.

Renner and Company named 2011 Small Business Philanthropist of the Year May 2011.

Renner and Company was named the 2011 Small Business Philanthropist of the Year at the 13th Annual Business Philanthropy Summit presented by Volunteer Alexandria. Renner and Company was honored for providing inspiration as a model of business integrated with the community by injecting not just financial support to Alexandria organizations, but also time, energy, enthusiasm and expertise. Hundreds of volunteers attended the event that kicked off the 4th Annual Spring for Alexandria Community Service Day. Other honorees were Dominion Power as the 2011 Large Business Philanthropist of the Year, Kari Galloway, the Executive Director of Guest House as the 2011 Nonprofit Leader of the Year, and Lori and Nigel Morris as the 2011 Nonprofit Board Leaders of the Year.

More than 40 nonprofit professionals attended the Renner and Company Non-Profit Seminar Thursday, July 22nd at the Hotel Monaco to hear about important nonprofit topics.

Renner and Company Senior Managers, Rima Ghanem, CPA and Karen Urcia presented “The Health Care Act – 10 ways it will affect nonprofits”, Robert J. Weil, Esq. from the Law Offices of Robert J. Weil spoke about vendor contracts “Who Can I Blame When Things Go Wrong”, and Renner and Company Shareholder, Joan M. Renner, CPA spoke about “Acing Your Audit – the ABCs of a positive audit.” The firm periodically presents programs on important accounting, audit and tax issues for our clients and friends.